“We did a thorough examination, and there’s no bigger menorah around. There was one in Tel Aviv in 2013, but it was smaller than this one. We wanted a Guinness world record but we were too late—maybe next year,” said the mall’s CEO Eyal Scoza.

A menorah that can be seen from every spot in the city (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)

The menorah’s construction took ten days and included a team of 110 people, mostly mall employees. It’s made of six tons of metal and covered in a fabric lined with LED lights. The mall representatives refused to comment on the project's cost.

On Sunday, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon and the city’s Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern lit a candle at the record breaking menorah. “I stand here excited before a Jerusalemite audience that came here to celebrate a holiday that unites all of us—secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox,” said Leon.

“We’ve come to Israel to establish a Jewish state, and we have the privilege to light Hanukkah candles in our own country,” said Rabbi Stern. “Our joy is greater than that of all previous generations, who lit candles in foreign lands. May we be blessed with security, peacefulness, health, and a good, kind and modest leadership,” said Stern.